Q&A
Laurie Cooper Stoll Assistant Professor of Sociology, Department of Sociology and Archaeology Years at UW-L: 1.5 years Education: B.A., 2001and M.A., 2004, University of Memphis; Ph.D., 2011, Loyola University Chicago Hometown: Memphis, Tenn.
with Laurie Cooper Stoll, author of ‘Race and Gender in the Classroom’
Q A
Why did you write the book?
“Race and Gender in the Classroom” is an institutional ethnography that explores the paradoxes of education, race and gender as I follow 18 teachers carrying out roles as educators in an era of color- and gender-blind politics. Because I found there were a number of contentious issues converging simultaneously in these teachers’ everyday lives, I decided to write a book to show how each of these concerns is connected to one another and taken together provide a context for understanding teachers’ perspectives on race and gender.
Q A
What in your research for the book surprised you the most?
This is a tough question to answer because I think any ethnographer would tell you once you are in the field there are
usually a number of surprises. I suppose if I had to choose one, I would say the biggest surprise was how differently teachers understood race and gender; and, therefore, feminism and antiracism too.
Q
Who is your main audience?
of importance to teachers’ unions and laypersons.
Q A
What kind of response has your book received?
The book was just released in July so it is hard to gauge. However, I was thrilled the book received glowing endorsements from three leading contemporary race scholars.
Q A A
It is interdisciplinary in scope and intended to appeal to academics, teachers of all grade levels including pre-service teachers, students, and policy-makers concerned with racial and gender inequality in schooling. It is also written for school boards, administrators, and educators who seek input on current educational policies concerning institutional racism and sexism, as well as new policy solutions. In the same vein, this book is
Was this your first book?
This is the first book I have written, but my research has appeared in a number of scholarly publications. I will be back in the field this fall studying issues of equity in education. I am very interested to see how some of the concerns I highlight in the book play out in a more rural, homogenous setting as opposed to a diverse, urban environment.
CAPSTONE Fall 2013 21